Brandmerry Blog Archives
3 Steps to structure your content for your next FB live and how to make an offer on the back of it with confidence
3 Steps to structure your content for your next FB live and how to make an offer on the back of it with confidence
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
First off, I want to start by saying your live does not need to be perfect. You don't need to have your hair and makeup perfectly done. You don't have to have the perfect background. You don't have to have perfect lighting. Don't let those things stop you from going live, but if those things make you feel more confident, then I say go for it! But don't let it stop you.
There are a few things that I love to have for my own live videos because they make me feel more confident in my own live videos. The first is a tripod, and the other is a mini ring light that attaches right to your phone. You can get both of these things for very cheap on Amazon. Again, these are things that make me feel more confident, but if I don't have them, I'm not going to let that stop me from doing an epic live video I have planned. The third thing that I absolutely love to have is a notebook! This helps me feel super confident having an outline of my live video right by my side.
A question I get a lot is: "What do you use to go live?" And the answer is, I use my phone! You don't have to have the perfect equipment. A phone works great and you can go live from anywhere!
Step 1: Prework
You have to understand what your audience wants, and I know I saw this a lot, but it's going to help you with the most important pieces of your live video including the title, the bullets/benefits and any story you want to share to go along with that. Tying in story and having bullet points is super important when you are going live to a cold audience.
Also, make sure your live video topic matches up with your offer, otherwise it's not going to work.
Announce before you go live, so people know and can show up to watch! Don't be afraid to send an email to your audience and post on your other social platforms to get people on your live.
Step 2: It's all about value and engagement
Engagement is such an important part of Facebook Live! As you're focusing on giving value, also check in with your audience and focus on engagement. This also takes the pressure off of you because your less in structure mode and more in conversation mode. Have people give you thumbs ups if that makes sense or ask them every so often if they have any questions!
When you're first starting out, you may not have anyone on your live videos. When I first started out, I had my mom watch all of my lives so I had someone on who can engage with me. You an also get your entrepreneur friends to do this or your husband. However, people will watch your replay, so if no one is on, you can speak to your replay watchers and say things like "If you're watching the replay, where are you watching from?" Always include your live viewers and your replay viewers. Check in frequently, so you'll have the confidence at the end to offer them something.
When it comes to giving value, don't focus so much on over delivering. Were wanting to give value, but we're not wanting to give everything away.
Step 3: The recap
Recap your live because people are hopping in later in the video, so those people will go back and watch from the beginning. You're also refreshing your audiences memory of the value you gave them. But you also need to answer these 3 very important questions:
What did they learn?
Why is it important?
What else needs to happen? (This should most likely be your offer).
Presenting your offer with confidence
You have to be confident in your offer in order for it to sell. You need to really understand the benefits of your offer, so if you have to remind yourself of that before going into the actual live video, do that. Also, it needs to make sense. Does the offer go with what you talked about throughout the live video? You'll gain more confidence with every single live video you do. Practice definitely helps, but also having someone who can go back and watch your video and give your tips to improve. This could be a friend, family member or mentor.
You can watch the whole video for a more in-depth version of this and several bonus tips below!
Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/videos/1651987714837558/
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
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MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
Tips for Running a Business as a Mom
Tips for Running a Business as a Mom
My intention for you today is that you walk away with some cool strategies and tips that you can use, but also that you know it is possible to not only grow a business, but to successfully run a business as a mom, especially if you have young children. I'm going to give you my tips so that you can show up as a woman, as a business owner, and still have time for your little family.
Before I dive into those tips, I want to tell you about a really cool upcoming masterclass I'm hosting on five simple steps to creating authentic brand that allows you to grow your community with ease and leads to more clients. You can sign up here: brandmerry.com/authenticbrand
A little backstory before we dive into these tips because I think it's really important that if you are a mom, you are watching this, and you know that I get you, that I'm not just coming in and sharing these tips, and I don't actually know what it's like to be a mom, because even though my son's not running around right now, he is very much a piece of my brand and my business. I actually decided to create an online business just one month after my son was born. I spent the next six months trying to figure out what that looked like.
I would wake up early and work before my 9:00 to 5:00. I would brainstorm ideas in the middle of the night during a feeding. I would work a little bit late after driving home in traffic. I really just dove into my business as a way for me to leave my 9:00 to 5:00 so I could create a life of freedom that allowed me to be home with my son.
I've been there, I've done it, and in just one year of creating my business, I actually created a six-figure business, and it's continuing to grow. The entire time that I'm doing it, I'm able to be there with my son, to work alongside my side and have the beautiful freedom that I've always wanted as a mom, so I get it. It wasn't always easy-breezy. There were some hard times, and I'm excited to share with you my top tips today.
1. Scheduling your time
Now, I know this might seem like something you hear all the time. I totally get it, but it's so important. When you're running a business, it's really easy, we're creating a business from home, it's really easy for you to put it on the back burner, for you to say, "Oh, I'm not going to do that because I need to do laundry," or, "I need to clean the kitchen," or, "I need to do X, Y, and Z," but I want you to really get in the habit of creating your business even if you're in the beginning stages and just researching ideas, valuing that time and giving that time the scheduled time it deserves. Whether that's an hour a day or four hours a day, really saying, "Between this chunk and this chunk, I'm dedicated to my business."
Now, I will give you a complete disclaimer that I have worked alongside my son since day one, so I also know that sometimes you have to stand up and go grab a snack or a kid climbs on your lap. I totally get it, but if I set my intention that during that time that's when I'm working on my business, my son has actually learned that. My son says, "Mommy's working," and that's great. That's amazing. We're still in the same room together, but he knows, hey, I'm going to play with my train tracks while mom is writing an email. It's really great to set those boundaries early on, not only with yourself, but with your family.
2. Be Present and Compassionate with Yourself
I always recommend this, when you aren't working on your business that you are present with your family. I'll be 100% transparent with you. This was hard in the beginning because my business was like a second baby to me, so I really had to be aware that when I wasn't, during my scheduled time with my business, my phone was away and I was present with my family. That helps a ton when it comes to those times when you might feel a little guilty, I totally get it, and just knowing that you are giving so much love.
Also, being compassionate with yourself and knowing that you are a woman, that you have many passions, you have many loves. Being a mother is one of those pieces, but you also want to create a thriving business. Compassion with yourself and knowing that, "I'm working on my business now, and I'll be with my child in just a little bit," or, "I'm going to be very present with my son or my child now, and I'll be able to work on my business tomorrow." Really honoring yourself, honoring your desires, and knowing that you can do and have it all.
3. Bulk Scheduling
Number one, we talked about scheduling your time, really carving out chunks of time for you to work on your business. Number three is my favorite thing to do. It has saved me time and time again in my business, and it is bulk-scheduling. If you're an online entrepreneur, 9 times out of 10, you're probably showing up in social media, maybe emailing your list, making YouTube videos like this, and it's really awesome and helpful for you if you can carve out a chunk of time, maybe kid-free if that's available to you, to get all of those done in one setting.
For instance, today, I recorded four YouTube videos back to back while my husband plays with my son in another room, and I'm good for two freaking months. It's really, really amazing. Any way you can bulk-schedule your content, whether that's bulk-writing emails, blog posts, writing and scheduling your social media posts, recording YouTube videos, anything that you can do in big chunks of time will free you up to spend wonderful time with your family and honor yourself as the woman and mother that you are.
4. Include Your Family in your Business and Brand
I did this really early on, and I'm so thankful for it. While I know it's not an option for everybody watching, it has been really powerful for me, and so I want to share with you how I've done that.
For instance, when I started my business, live video was so stressful because I had a new baby, and I couldn't go live in the middle of the day if he was crying, or so I thought. One day, I got the idea to put him in his little carrier and just set up my tripod and do my live video. It has been one of my favorite live videos to date. I even saw many clients who said, "I saw you with a baby on your back and knew it was possible."
In that moment, I knew, me showing up authentically, me showing up as a mom, including my son in a live video, whether he's on my back or on my lap, having him in my branded photos, talking about him openly in my brand really allowed me to make a deeper connection with the women that I wanted to work with and remove the stressor of trying to come off as this perfect person which never happens, kid or not.
That's a really great tip I have for all of you. Any way that you can, and at the comfort level that you feel comfortable with, include your family, your children in your branding process. It not only makes you more real in the online space, but also makes you more relatable.
I totally get it. You're a mom. You're a mom who's running a business, and sometimes, it can be really crazy and a little bit hectic, and know that you are so not alone. In fact, my private community Authentic Brand Builders, we have tons of moms who are running businesses, and we're often talking about what that looks like. I think it's really important to be compassionate with yourself, to make your business a priority, and know that you are really doing and running your business so that you can be the best woman and mom to your children.
You can watch the whole video for a more in-depth version of this and several bonus tips below!
Head over to Youtube and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0tEyhEwMGI&t=44s
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
The Top 5 Things I'd Do if Starting My Business Again For the Greatest Impact to My Time and Money
The Top 5 Things I'd Do if Starting My Business Again For the Greatest Impact to My Time and Money
BY MICHELLE KNIGHT
My business has changed so much from when I first started in 2016.
It originally started with my husband and I creating a design business to support female entrepreneurs in the design of their brand and website. I had a background in Public Relations and he had a background in design, so it seemed like an excellent place to start.
However, I realized shortly after that's not what I wanted to do. In August 2016, I rebranded Brandmerry as a coaching and consulting business and knew right away that this was it. Had I known what I know now about determining your niche, I would have started Brandmerry differently at the beginning.
But, without it, I wouldn’t be able to support my clients the way I go now when it comes to determining their niche and personal story, so here we are and today, I’m sharing 5 of those tips I wish I’d known when starting my business in 2016.
1. STORY WORK: Look inward to discover what you really want to do and do it
If you know anything about me, you know I always want you to start with your story.
Looking at your story will help you discover what you really do and don't want to do in your business. And I'm not talking about posting on social media, and those things that you can later outsource, that need to be done in your business for marketing purposes.
I'm talking about the way you're working with clients - are you working with them in a way you truly enjoy, or do you not like how you're currently working with clients?
Are you offering a package or service that you actually don't like doing?
Are you doing what you actually want to do and something that’s authentic to you or just something you saw online?
Because it's not easy to run an online business, but if you create one that’s in alignment with your story and mission it’s going to be much more enjoyable and successful.
When you’re thinking about your story, think about the bigger purpose and the big picture, or as I like to refer to it the mission.
Identifying the why doesn't always do it for me, but focusing on your life mission and the impact you want to make does. Maybe coaching is the avenue to get you to where you want to be in the big picture. Just be really clear on the type of business you want to create.
Know that it is possible for you and creating strategies and business models that honor who you are as a person.
2. RESEARCH: Know your freaking audience
I didn't think this was important in the beginning. I would tell my coach that I had done the ideal client worksheets when I hadn't and it definitely showed in my marketing.
There was a big a-ha moment for me when I was at home, sick from my 9-5, and I finally sat down and wrote out who my ideal client was. I mean I went DEEP into who they were, what they believed, what mattered more and more.
A week later I signed a client that had been in my community for months. It took a shift in my messaging and true connection for her to make the leap.
There is a reason companies spend so much money on research because successful marketing comes back to truly understanding your audience so clearly, that you can inspire your audience to take action.
It’s important to study your audience.
Pay attention to what they're saying, what they need and want in their life.
The more you understand your ideal client, the more trust you will build with them.
I encourage you to do everything you can to get in their head (in a non-creepy way) because you need to identify what they're struggling with and what they really want. You also need to know their hopes and dreams. I survey my audience at least 3 times a year and love to use free Facebook Groups and tools like Answer The Public to find data, and it makes a big difference.
3. TIME-MANAGEMENT: Be focused and forgiving of your schedule
I really wish I would have known this in the beginning because there were times I was really hard on myself around what I could accomplish with my schedule.
There's not a one size fits all approach to business. That's why it's important to find a mentor and community that understands that. It's also important to look internally and figure out what works for your life. A great way to do this is to perform time audits to see where your time is going and how you can eliminate, outsource or improve your schedule.
You do have to make choices when building a business in order to find the time, but understand it’s not about hustling 24/7. I have a podcast episode all about time management tips here.
But this doesn't give you an excuse to slack off and not do something because you don't feel like it and then say it was because of time.
Time is not an excuse, it’s about how we use it.
So, once you’ve determined that this is what you want to do, then commit to it. Make modifications to your schedule, create times when your business is a priority and then make choices that honor your current season of life.
If you cant’ do a live video every week, find something you can do.
If you’ve got an hour a week for content, then repurposing an existing blog post.
It’s about working smarter not harder!
4. EMAIL LIST: Grow your list from day 1
If you take away one thing, please make it this!
It’s so important to start growing your email list from day one.
It's important for you to have a database of your own because we do not own social media or our Facebook Groups. Having a way to communicate with your audience is important.
You can learn more about list building strategies in a few of my popular blog posts here:
3 Daily Marketing Actions to Grow Your Business
5 Ninja Skills to Improve Your Email List Building
The first step is creating a lead magnet or gift, creating a form through your email provider and then using marketing strategies to get your free gift in front of the right people.
That first person on your email list could be that first client. My first client came when I had 10 people on my list.
5. 2 P's: Plan and Patience
I’m not going to sugar coat it and tell you how difficult it is to start and scale a business. But, the truth is that it’s a heck of a lot easier when you have a plan in place.
Planning your business for 90-days at a time, as well as for the year as a whole is essential so you can take actionable steps daily.
Without a clear plan and strategic daily steps, you’ll wrap up your year and not know what the heck you even did! For some of my insider secrets on planning, listen to this podcast episode on The Beautiful Climb podcast.
And along with the plan, comes the need to practice patience.
You have to know that this is going to take time. All marketing takes at least 30 days to access the data to see what’s working and what’s not. But, it’s this combination of daily action and patience that is the sweet spot.
If you are putting in the effort and energy and know you are worthy, you will get there. You have to have patience and know that it's your journey. Stay in your lane. Focus on what you're doing. The impact you're having. Patience, patience, patience.
You can watch the whole video for a more in-depth version of this and several bonus tips below!
Head over to my Facebook Page and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://www.facebook.com/brandmerrycoaching/
P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.
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MEET MICHELLE
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.
I'M MICHELLE KNIGHT
I was just a new mom with an ambitious dream to start my own business. That dream turned into a multiple 6-figure business and the ability to travel full time. Now, I teach women how to brand and market their authentic voice online and take bold action to create a life better than their dreams.
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EXPLORE THE BLOG
How to Discover Your Niche {video inside}
How to Discover Your Niche
Today I'm really excited to share with you my top tips for coming up with a business idea and how to niche down in a way that allows you to attract your dream clients and standout online. Before I dive into my tips, I want to share with you about an upcoming master class that I have. It's on five simple steps to create an authentic brand that allows you to grow your community with ease and leads to more clients. For more information on the upcoming time, checkout this link: brandmerry.com/authenticbrand
1. Look at your story
Tip number one, which is my favorite thing to freaking talk about and it's about really looking back at your story. Really looking back at your life and seeing, "Hey, are there any signs about what I could continue to do, what I could build a business around?" This was really powerful for me in my business, because my background and education was in communication, it was in advertising and public relations. When I looked at the pieces that I really enjoyed among all those things that I had done, the branding element really stood out to me. Then it was the piece of my story after identifying what had really happened in my life on a personal level that it became clear that I wanted to really empower women to show up as their authentic selves. To not be stifled, to create a life and a business that resulted freedom.
So, for you what is it? What can you look back at your story, look back at some major transitions of your life and say, "Whoa, I really feel passionate about that. I really feel like I could create that into a business." Often times, everything we need is already inside of us. It just takes a couple minutes to look inward and say, "Oh, yes, that is important. Oh yes, I love that," and then put the energy towards actually making that happen.
2. Come up with a list
All right, number two, I want you to come up with a list of ideas that you have based on your story. So come up with a list of ideas of things that you could teach or you could guide other individuals on to create a business around. Then from that list I want to see if anything pops out for you. Are you getting really clear on who you actually want to attract to your business? 'Cause this is such an important part of niching down that often doesn't come until later in people's minds, but I want you to focus on it in the beginning.
What pieces of your story, what parts of the list are telling you, "Hey I want to work with women. I want to work with women who want to leave their nine to five. I want to work with the new moms." Right? Can you start to get an idea of the person that you want to attract to your new brand and your business. So that's step two. Listing out all of the possible things that you feel passionate about that you can share, that you can build a business around and are any of those pointing to a type of woman or man that you want to attract to your business.
3. Making the connection
Step number three, I call Making the Connection, but you might also consider it Narrowing the List Down. So what we're going to do is we're going to take a look at your list and maybe for a couple of those connectors, like a couple of those points you're like, "Whoa, I want to talk to the same type of person for each of these," and that's what we're going to look at. We're going to look at how can these be connected. Are there maybe five things that really point you to creating a business around branding? Are there three points that tell you really want to help individuals with mindset? Are there some parts of your story that keep popping up around marketing strategies? Looking for the consistency in that list and the things that keep popping up that pull your attention to that one topic.
This is how we start to niche down, because as humans we can do so much and many of you watching right now as entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs probably have so many talents and it's really hard to bundle them all up into one specific thing. But by focusing on it this way and kind of niching yourself down into more of a generalized theme allows you to focus on those different pieces. If marketing is popping up a lot, then you know that your niche is most likely marketing. If branding is popping up a lot, it tells you, "Hey, we need to focus a little bit on branding." And then, you also have the steps that you need to say, "Oh, I want to focus on branding and I want to help this particular person with the branding process." And that right there, the what you do and the who you want to attract is the most important of niching down.
BONUS TIP!
My bonus tip for you today is that you can really build a business around anything. It's about being really specific and clear what it is that you do, who you want to attract and how you market yourself to them. I have a video that I did earlier this year on messaging, so go ahead and click that, make sure that you watch that video, it's really, really important. That is the next piece after niching down and finding your ideal client. But remember that there are so many people in the world, and you truly can create a business for a particular audience, for your target market and know that whatever crazy idea ... They seem crazy now, I have seen crazier in the online space when it comes to business ideas. So feel good and feel grounded and what idea you have and know that it is possible for you.
I really hope that those tips were super helpful for you. If you want more of a workbook style, I do have a really cool niche workbook that has helped thousands of women. You can download that here: https://brandmerry.lpages.co/blog-discover-your-niche-workbook-opt-in/
It's all about niching down and it'll walk you through this entire process, which is going to be so valuable for you, especially if you are just now thinking of starting a business. In addition, don't forget to join me for the Five Steps To Creating An Authentic Brand masterclass, which you can join here, and that's going to be really powerful for you, because I'm sharing what my journey has really looked like from working nine to five busy mom to creating a six figure business in just a year of having my coaching business, and I'm going to be sharing those steps for you. I'm all about simplicity.
You can watch the whole video for a more in-depth version of this and several bonus tips below!
Head over to my YouTube Channel and be sure to like and comment on the video while you are over there to help more people see this information ↠ https://youtu.be/NzNhn373nvs
And as always please share and comment on this blog post, I love connecting with you!
Michelle Knight is a Branding and Business coach for female entrepreneurs who are struggling to gain visibility and traction to take their business to the next level. She works with her clients to dive deep into their story so they can create a brand and message that positions them as an expert and allows them to create their desired income to free up time in their schedule for what matters most. Learn more >>
How to Host an Online Challenge to Grow Your Community With Ease {Video Inside}
I've been hosting live challenges for seven years, and with conversion rates averaging between 5% to 7%, and the average 1% to 3%, it's clear they are impactful.
I’ve honed a process that consistently drives results with my live challenge, and with everyone talking about webinars, I want to offer a different perspective.
Live challenges allow you to give massive value to your community during a designated time frame, but give you the space to go deeper, something a 60-90 minute webinar can not.
Plus, in a short time, your audience can follow your challenge and instantly see results, which builds connection and trust quickly.
It's an amazing strategy and tool to not only grow your community, but also nurture and develop your community so they are ready to invest in your offer.
So whether you're launching a new program, live launching an existing one, or wanting to fill your 1:1 program, a well-executed challenge can be a game-changer.
Today, I am excited to share with you not only why these challenges work so well but also walk you through the step-by-step process for setting up your online challenge.
Inside today’s episode of the Authentic Brand Builders podcast, we’ll dive into:
The exact process you need to get your online challenge ready and deliver insane value to your audience.
My top tips for structuring your videos for higher conversions, and how to increase show-up rates.
A little insider secret I use to support my challenge participants in feeling great about joining my offer.
**I’ve included the main points below, but I encourage you to dive into the full episode via audio or video!
For the full content, and all the insider tips, listen to Episode 123 here or watch it here.
Why Online Challenges Convert Better Than Webinars
Many entrepreneurs prioritize webinars as the core of their launching or promotional efforts.
Yet, for me, live challenges have occupied this sweet spot. Why? They offer more flexibility and a deeper connection with my audience.
A webinar often limits you to 60-90 minutes where you need to cover the why, what, how, build authority, and promote your offer. I don’t know about you but I struggle with not only the timeframe but also like I’m cheating my audience out of value.
A live challenge, however, gives me up to two hours of interaction over several days. This longer format allows me to fully unpack the why, what, and how of my topics, leading to higher engagement and ultimately, better conversion rates.
If you’re like me and have never found your groove with webinars it might be time to try this completely underutilized launching technique.
How to Host Your Online Challenge {step-by-step}
I’ve broken down all of these steps in a bonus training, which you can watch for free on my YouTube channel.
STEP ONE: Define Your End Goal and Topic
Before diving into the logistics of your challenge, the crucial first step is defining what you're ultimately selling.
The end product or service influences the topic of your challenge significantly. Specific topics aligned with your offerings tend to convert better. For instance, in the past, I’ve used a challenge to promote my branding course, so I used a challenge to help them identify their brand story. This not only aligns perfectly with my topic but paves the way for participants to confidently join the course as the next step.
Think about pre-work or a first step someone might need to join your offer as the starting place for your challenge topic.
When it comes to choosing your topic, the more specific you can be with the outcome of the challenge, the easier it will be for someone to take time out of their busy schedule to participate.
The more specific you are with the title, benefits and outcome for your audience the better.
Here are 3 things to be super specific about:
The problem you solve with the challenge. This will help you title your challenge and promote it.
The title. This needs to be clear. Many people will decide if your challenge is for them or not based on your title. Remember you’re solving a problem, tell them the problem and what they will get from the challenge in a single sentence.
List out the benefits. Each of the days of the challenge you should be focusing on one small thing. The more specific you are with the lessons each day, the faster your audience will get results. Get clear on the benefit each day to help you plan your content.
Example titles from some of my past challenges include: The Specify Your Niche Challenge, The Brand Story Challenge, and The Content Gamechanger Challenge.
STEP 2: Design Your Challenge Structure
After choosing your specific topic, map out what you’ll deliver, the intended outcomes, and the timeframe.
I've experimented with multiple challenge durations and found that a four-day structure hits the sweet spot. It’s long enough to deliver meaningful content without overwhelming participants or losing their engagement.
Once you’ve determined your schedule you can map out the specific talking points and structure of your challenge topics. This will be helpful when we create all of your promotional materials.
Below, is a sample structure for a four-day live challenge that yields me the best results.
Structuring Your Live Online Challenge for Success
Day One: Setting the Foundation
The first day of a challenge is crucial. It's dedicated to laying a solid foundation and getting participants invested in what you are sharing. This is where the 'why' comes in.
I recently conducted a challenge focusing on the customer journey, vital for successful marketing. This setup not only sets the stage for the following days but also builds excitement and aligns with my upcoming offers.
Day Two: Diving Into Content
By the second day, I transition into the 'what'. What do they need to do to get results?
For my recent challenge, I guided participants in mapping out where they would show up and what content they would share. This practical focus helps participants see immediate results from their efforts.
Day Three and Beyond: Engagement and Depth
On the third day, we want to start to give specifics around the how. Don’t be afraid to give specifics here, even if it’s something you offer inside of your course. This provides value and trust with your audience.
This approach ensures participants are informed and prepared to join your offer when you present it.
Step 3: Delivery Method and Support
Your challenge content can be live or prerecorded. I personally favor live challenges due to their higher conversion rates. I host my challenges in either a Facebook Group or a community forum like Kajabi.
You’ll want to deliver either a live or pre-recorded video, typically live videos will be around 30 minutes in length and offer Q&A. If you’re going the pre-recorded route, then you’ll want to include a bonus Q&A call to support this element.
As I’ve said, I love live challenges and the key advantage of live challenges is showcasing the support aspect inherent in my programs. Whether it's one-on-one guidance or group support, the live format lets potential clients experience firsthand what it means to be part of my community.
I also include a replay page for those unable to join live or aren’t able to join the group. This ensures they don't miss out on the value and move into my paid offer. Coupling live sessions with accessible replays have consistently driven success in my business, including conversion rates of up to 10%.
Step 4: Set Up Your Challenge Collateral
Before promoting your challenge, you want to create all of your collateral materials.
This includes crafting a lead capture page to collect email addresses, a thank-you page, and a confirmation email with all the event details. If utilizing social media platforms like Facebook, create a group for participants to engage and ask questions.
Here’s a cheat sheet of what you need before getting started:
Lead Capture Page: Start with a landing page to collect participants' names and email addresses. This is crucial for creating a targeted email list for your challenge and growing your community overall. I like to host my landing pages on Convertkit or LeadPages.
Thank You Page: After users sign up, redirect them to a thank you page. This could guide them to check their email for further instructions or offer a simple upsell, like a discounted course related to the challenge or a VIP option for the challenge (which could include lifetime access to the videos).
Confirmation Email: Immediately send a confirmation email that includes details about the challenge, the schedule, and how to join the group where the challenge will take place.
Step 5: Promotion and Communication for the Online Challenge
Promotion should start at least two weeks before the challenge begins.
You’ll want to plan on sending a series of emails inviting your existing audience to the challenge, plus reminder emails for those who sign up.
INVITATION EMAILS
Craft at least five emails leading up to the challenge, sent over two weeks. These should entice participants with stories, benefits, and any previous success stories related to your challenge or offerings.
A last-minute email on the day before or the day the challenge starts, reminding those who haven’t signed up yet ALWAYS results in last-minute signups. Seriously, don’t skip this email even if you feel like you’ve sent a bunch!
In addition to your emails, if you’re on social media, you can repurpose these emails into social media content like posts, carousels, stories, or reels. If you have a YouTube channel, weekly podcast, or blog don’t forget to promote your challenge there as well.
CHALLENGE-SPECIFIC EMAILS
You want to make sure participants remember and attend the challenge by sending timely reminders:
Weekly and Daily Reminders: A week before the challenge begins, send a reminder email about the challenge. Then make sure you send a 48 and 24-hour reminder email as well. Remember, people will be signing up at different points over the two weeks so you don’t want them to miss the crucial information.
Tips and Tricks: Between reminders, offer valuable tips and insights on how to prepare for the challenge, enhancing participants’ readiness and excitement. I love to share a YouTube video that might give them a taste of my teaching style and provide them with helpful information. You could do the same with an existing piece of content.
Daily Updates: Send a daily email summarizing what participants will learn that day and providing links to join or view replays. We typically send this out 2-4 hours before the live video is released which helps with improving show-up rates.
PROMOTIONAL EMAILS
During the challenge, around day two or three, you’ll start promoting your paid offer. While you’ll be talking about this in the group, you’ll also want to send promotion-specific emails to participants.
Opening Sales Email: Announce the official opening of course or program enrollment early during the challenge.
Benefit-Focused Emails: Over the next few days, send multiple emails highlighting different benefits and features of your offering, including testimonials or case studies.
Final Urgency Email: As the challenge nears its end, use urgency-driven language to encourage program signups, reminding participants that doors are closing, or bonuses are expiring. I also pair this with the reminder that the challenge group will be closing and all videos will be coming down.
Step 6: Execute and Engage
This is the easy part. You’ve already done all of the ground work and now you get to show up and support your audience.
Ensure your content delivery is as energetic as your preparation.
Whether your sessions are live or not, make them interactive and value-packed. Encourage questions and provide as much support as possible. This interaction is crucial, as it builds rapport and allows participants to experience the benefits of your product firsthand.
Increase Your Online Challenge Conversion Rate
In addition to the value you’ll be providing during the week, there are a few ways you can enhance the experience for your audience.
SUPPORTIVE DOCUMENTS: Create bonus workbooks, questions, or prompts that your audience can participate in to get better results. Recently, I created a simple Google Doc that gave them exercises to complete after the live video and it was incredibly easy and useful to my audience.
ADD BONUS TRAININGS OR LIVE Q&A: If you’re using pre-recorded video, then you’ll definitely want to add live Q&A at some point via Zoom or another group meeting platform. You can also add bonus workshops or webinars at the end of the challenge to cover the next steps and go deeper into what your offer provides.
INCLUDE SPECIAL BONUSES: Since, you’re promoting you want this enrollment period to feel exclusive, so I always love to offer a bonus 1:1 session, a bonus bundle, and/or a discounted price on my offer.
CREATE URGENCY: You want to make sure people go through your challenge, so I really encourage you to limit your video replays and support to seven days. This will get more people to show up and engage, checkout the replay page, and pay attention while you’re promoting the offer.
PERSONAL OUTREACH: Personal touches, like individual outreach via video, can make a huge difference in your conversion rate. I use this strategy to reach out to any who actively participates in the challenge and I think would be a great fit for my offer. I send them a one-minute video where I say their name, thank them, and ask if they have any questions about the offer.
CONCLUSION
Hosting a live challenge is not just about sharing information and selling your offers; it's about creating connections and presenting your value in a magnetic and authentic way.
By taking the time to plan your challenge thoughtfully and prioritize interaction, you can achieve impressive conversion rates for your offer.
If you're looking to enhance launch strategies or grow your audience, hosting a live challenge could be the next big step for your business growth.
Don’t forget you can dive into the step-by-step process inside this video.
And, you can hear some of my takeaways and tips from my recent challenge in this video.
P.S. Ready to build a revenue-generating brand? One that not only stands out online but also makes it easier than ever to create high-value content? Tune in to my free brand class and learn my Build a Better Brand Method. Watch now at brandmerry.com/class.
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Meet Michelle
Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.
I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.
I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.
This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.